A gripping and unforgettable story of love and betrayal in the Bauhaus from Naomi Wood, author of the award-winning Mrs. Hemingway. Now part of the Picador Collection.

An intoxicating story of love and betrayal set in 1920s Germany.

In Roaring Twenties Germany, Paul, Charlotte and Walter meet at the Bauhaus art school. The trio form a close-knit group, in which passions and rivalries collide. But when Walter is betrayed, he makes a terrible mistake – a secret he will keep from Paul and Charlotte for as long as he can.

As political tensions escalate and the Nazis gain power, Walter’s secret – hidden in notebooks, paintings and blueprints – ultimately threatens the very lives of his friends, with devastating consequences.

Thrilling, gripping and unforgettable, Naomi Wood’s The Hiding Game explores the perils of secrecy in a changing and dangerous world.

Shortlisted for The Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown Award.
Longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

"A suspenseful story of obsession against the tense political backdrop of Germany’s Bauhaus art school" - Sunday Times Style

"With great conviction, Wood summons up the intensity of the students’ camaraderie and the forces that destroy it" - The Sunday Times

"Wood can recreate a time and place with all its glamour and grit . . . art and ideas have never felt more thrilling" - Grazia

"A love story set in the Bauhaus art school during Germany's turbulent 1920s? Be still, my pounding heart!" - Red, 'The only summer reads you need'

"Tense and absorbing, this is a book that you’ll want to dive into and hungrily read to the last word" - Stylist

"An engaging tale filled with jealousies and rivalries turns into a dark, compelling drama about betrayal, revenge and the cost of loving too much . . . Like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, Wood’s novel starts out as a chronicle of a death foretold . . . emotionally charged and morally complex" - Literary Review

"Wood effortlessly evokes the atmosphere at the Bauhaus . . . The Hiding Game is a carefully and intricately woven novel of love, deceit and creativity" - Icon Magazine

"A devastating secret haunts Naomi Wood’s third novel . . . Fans of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life will be carried away by the similarly fraught friendships and loving betrayals in Wood’s book" - New Statesman